1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceramic electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a reduction in the size and thickness of an electronic device, such as a cellular phone and a portable music player, the size of a circuit board mounted on the electronic device has also been reduced. In response to this, there is a great need for a reduction in the thickness and size of a ceramic electronic component included on the circuit board.
One example of an approach to reducing the thickness of a ceramic electronic component is a method of embedding an external electrode in a major surface of a ceramic base described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-44921. The ceramic electronic component produced by this method can be thinner than the type in which an external electrode is not embedded in a ceramic base.
This patent literature also describes an increase in the adhesion of an external electrode by embedding the external electrode in the ceramic base.
However, if a reduction in the thickness is achieved by embedding an external electrode in a ceramic base, as described in the above-mentioned patent literature, the reliability of the ceramic electronic component may decrease.